It takes hard work and dedication for athletes to get where they are, and for these two, it shows. Junior Jabarii Pharms and senior Cameron Deville are both ranked nationally for their outstanding performances. Pharms is a linebacker and is ranked No. 9 in the nation for tackling. Deville plays quarterback and is currently ranked No. 12 in the nation for his passing yards.

Pharms is seen as a natural leader by his team. He pushes himself to the limit by practicing his skills and getting better in his personal time. While he practices every day he works to improve his mental toughness. He also takes the time before games to pray with the team so that they are watched over and held in the hands of God. For Pharms, focusing on stats is not as important as focusing on his team and winning.

“I don’t really pay attention to my stats until after football season is over. The only thing I care about is helping my team win and stay humble.”

Being a part of a football team, it is really hard to let your voice be heard especially being one of the youngest players on the team.

“Jabarii was a sophomore last year and has gotten even better this year,” linebacker coach Jacob Pelly said. “He is very coachable and is a humble leader.” Coaches are not the only ones who have noticed Pharms’ natural leadership abilities.

“The only natural leader that has caught my eye is Pharms because he lets his voice be heard,” senior Dominique James said. Pharms is known to take leadership within the whole team, this is a big deal because taking a step up and being considered as a leader to a football community is very importance.

Deville is passionate about this sport as well. He loves playing with all his friends, but on the field it’s strictly business. “I feel he’s a really good quarterback because off the field he’s all and fun and games but on the field it’s serious Cameron,” said senior Phoenix Smith.

“I feel confident in Cameron as our quarterback because he puts in a lot of work and it shows in his stats,” senior Keith Smith said.

Deville has been named player of the game several times throughout the years for best offensive performance and overall performance.

“Cameron is just a player of the game,” quarterback coach Eric Hankins said. “He is very technical and can adjust to difficult situations quickly.”

“I go out on the field and try and go with the flow of the game so I do not get distracted by anything else around me,” Deville said. When on the field, it is usually difficult to not focus on others or anything around you, but what led Deville to his accomplishments is focusing on himself and the game.

“I transferred to Lincoln my sophomore year, I had to play the back-up role as quarterback and was forced to play safety, which was a obstacle that I had to overcome.” Another challenge, he said, is “being only about 6 feet tall (when) the ideal height for a quarterback is around 6’2” and up.”

Being part of a football team is very demanding, especially of players’ time, said coach Anthony Lee.

“Getting to school at 7:00 a.m. (and) not leaving until 7:30 p.m. can be really difficult for students,” he said.